The Quest for Harmony 1 The Forgotten Element
by Merry Meerkat
Summary: The mane 6 befriend an alicorn who knows nothing about her past. Soon creatures called Freezelings come and spread a terrible winter all across Equestria. The mane 6 retrieve the elements of harmony to stop the freezelings and their leader but the elements do not stop them. How will they stop the freezelings? Rated K for all ages
1. Chapter 1 The New Arrival

Chapter 1: The New Arrival

No pony noticed the figure hidden in the shadows. It walked slowly, and when it looked up it almost immediately looked at the ground again. Afraid to draw attention to itself, it walked backwards away from any light. It continued to walk backwards until it tripped over a root and fell stumbling backwards into a purple alicorn.

Now exposed, the light revealed a pony with a soft coat of sea foam green. The pony had a white horn and sea foam green wings. Her cutie mark was a piece of coral . Her gently flowing mane was sea foam green and white. Sparkling beautifully, her eyes were the color of the sea.

"Oh, are you ok?" asked the purple pony. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it!" said the green pony timidly. "It's fine. Don't worry. I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurt. But now that I think about it, I don't recognize you. Are you new here?" the purple pony said kindly. "I guess you could say that," the other pony once again said timidly.

The purple pony smiled at her and said, " Well, welcome to Ponyville! My name is Twilight Sparkle. Wha-" "Princess Twilight Sparkle," interrupted a small dragon. "Well, yes. But you don't have to call me that. Twilight is perfectly fine. And this is my dragon, Spike. What's your name?" asked Twilight.

The green pony nervously dug at the ground. "My name's Auquasia," she replied softly. "That's a wonderful name. Hey, wait a minute… Are you an alicorn?" Twilight said as she noticed Aquasia's wings. "I guess so. Is that a bad thing…"Aquasia started to look at the ground. "No, not at all. It's just, aren't you royalty? I mean, you're an alicorn and all. But it doesn't matter if you are royalty or not. It doesn't mean your not a special pony. Anyway, where are you from,Canterlot? "

"Well, I- I don't know…" Aquasia stammered. "Tell me some information about your family. That should help," Twilight said hopefully. Aquasia kept looking at the ground. "I- I don't know… That's why I'm here. I don't know where I came from, who my family is, what my cutie mark means. I don't know anything about my past. I've been trying to find answers to these questions for as long as I can remember."

Twilight gazed at Aquasia's sad expression. "Oh, I'm so sorry. That's terrible. Can I help in any way?" "I don't know if anyone can help me." Twilight thought for a moment and suddenly had an idea. "Tell you what. You can stay with me, and I'll try to help you find the answers to your questions." "What do you want in return?" Aquasia asked as if expecting a catch. "Nothing. Why would I make you give me something when you need more help than I do?" Twilight asked in confusion. "Because that's all anypony ever wants of me... all the time... I go to different towns searching for help, but they always want something in return..." Twilight couldn't imagine who would do such a thing to this pony. "How could anypony think of such a thing? Did your friends ever treat you this way?" Aquasia stared at her in utter silence. Finally she was able to get the words out. "Friends? I- I-" Aquasia stared at the ground again and Twilight saw a tear fall to the ground.

Twilight couldn't even imagine somepony who had no friends. "Oh. I'm so sorry..." Twilight trailed off as she put a hoof on Aquasia's shoulder. But suddenly she had an idea. "Hey, I'll be your friend. And I know a wonderful group of ponies who will surely want to be your friends too." Aquasia suddenly looked up. "Really?" She could barely get the words out. Twilight smiled at the sea foam alicorn. "Definitely." "Hey Twilight, can I speak to you for a minute?" Spike, who had been listening to the whole conversation, spoke up. "Sure, Spike," Twilight replied. "Excuse me for a minute," she said as she moved a few steps away from Aquasia.

"What is it, Spike?" Twilight asked the dragon. "I don't know if you should trust her..." Spike had an uneasy feeling. "Oh Spike, she's completely harmless. All she needs is some friends," Twilight said calmly. "Sure she may seem innocent, but on the inside she could be a terrible beast," Spike whispered. "Oh, Spike. That's nonsense!" Twilight laughed. "Remember when you and your friends first met Starlight Glimmer? She seemed kind and innocent, but on the inside she was wicked and cruel," Spike tried to remind Twilight. "I know, but that was different. We could tell something was strange the moment we arrived there. This time I can tell she's innocent. When I look in her eyes, there's nothing evil about it. Instead, it's a kind, warm gaze. Just give her a chance, Spike," Twilight said to Spike. Spike sighed. "Fine. But still watch her, will ya?" Twilight smiled at him. "For you, Spike."

Twilight and Spike walked over to rejoin Auquasia. "Ready to meet my friends, Auquasia?" Twilight asked. Auquasia smiled. "I guess so." Twilight smiled back. "Good. Let's get to it then."


	2. Ch2 Making Friends

Chapter 2: Making Friends

As Spike went home, Twilight and Auquasia approached Sugarcube Corner. "Pinkie Pie loves making new friends. And if I didn't let her know there was somepony new in Ponyville she'd be upset that she didn't find out sooner. I just know she's going to like you as soon as she meets you," Twilight told Auquasia. The two friends entered the bakery.

"Hello, Mrs. Cake. Hello Mr. Cake," Twilight said to the couple. "Hello, Twilight. What brings you here today?" The Cakes asked. "I was wondering if you happen to know where Pinkie Pie is." "All she told me was she was going out, dear. But she should be back soon," Mrs. Cake told her.

Suddenly a flash of pink flew in the door. "I'm back! Oh hey Twilight!" Pinkie said as she burst through the door. When she saw Auquasia she gasped. Twilight could tell Pinkie already liked Auquasia. "Hey I've never seen you before! I'm Pinkie Pie! You must be new if I don't recognize you, because I know everypony in Ponyville! Let's be friends! Can I throw you a party? It will be so much fun!" Pinkie said all in one breath.

Twilight was afraid Auquasia would be frightened because of her quiet nature. But Auquasia smiled at Pinkie. "Really? You would do that for me?" "Of course I would! And who wouldn't want to be friends with you? It's not like you're some terrible, evil, scary meanie!" "This might surprise you, but I've never had a real friend before. No pony has ever offered to do this for me." Pinkie was shocked. "That's terrible! Those meanies! I'll be your friend! And I will throw you the best party ever!" Auquasia smiled. "I would love that, Pinkie. Thank you."

"Pinkie, we need to introduce Auquasia to the rest of our friends," Twilight told her energetic friend. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Pinkie exclaimed. The three friends left the bakery and headed to the edge of Ponyville. "Fluttershy is one of the kindest ponies I know. I think you two will be great friends," Twilight told Auquasia. "I hope so," Auquasia said.

The three approached a cottage and Twilight knocked on the door. A yellow pony with a pink mane opened the door. "Hello, Twilight," she said. "Hello, Fluttershy. I'd like to introduce you to Auquasia. She's an alicorn who's new to Ponyville," Twilight informed her friend. "Oh, hello. I'm Fluttershy. Where are you from," Fluttershy said in a voice that her friends could barely hear. "I don't know. I don't know anything about my family either. And believe it or not, Pinkie and Twilight are my first real friends," Auquasia told Fluttershy. "Oh, that's terrible. Are you saying most ponies are not kind to you? Well I'll be your friend." "Thank you, Fluttershy

"Fluttershy, do you want to come with us? We're introducing Auquasia to the rest of our friends," Twilight told her friend. "Sure. I'll do anything I can for a lonely friend." The four friends left the cottage and went of to find the others.

"Rarity loves fashion. She makes the best dresses in all of Ponyville," Twilight told her new friend as they walked in to see Rarity. "Hello, Twilight," a white pony with a beautiful purple mane said. "Hello, Rarity. There's somepony I'd like you to meet. This is Auquasia." Auquasia came closer to Rarity. "Nice to meet you, Auquasia. And may I say your mane is wonderful! The way it flows is absolutely magnificent! Where are you from, darling?" Rarity asked Auquasia. "I don't know where I'm from. I don't know who my family is either. And Twilight, Pinkie, and Fluttershy are my first friends." "Oh, how dreadful! You poor dear! Well I'll certainly be your friend." Suddenly Rarity had an idea. "I'll make you a dress!" Instantly she began working. She picked out some fabric and started sewing. Soon, the dress was finished. It was a coral color like her cutie mark and it had a ruffle going across the front.

"I love it Rarity. No pony has ever done anything like this for me," Auquasia said. "Anything for a friend," replied Rarity. Rarity was looking at Auquasia and suddenly came to a shocking realization. "Twilight, can I speak to you for a minute?" Rarity asked her friend. "Sure." Twilight and Rarity walked a few steps away. "What is it, Rarity?" "Look at Auquasia really hard for a few seconds. Who do you see?" "Um, Auquasia. Isn't that obvious?" "No. What I mean is if you look at her really hard, who does she look like?" Twilight looked really hard, but didn't think she looked like anypony other than herself. "She doesn't look like anypony, Rarity." "Just think about it. The flowing mane, the shape of her face, her wings, her horn, her tail, her elegance. When you look at her really hard, she looks like a smaller and shorter version of Princess Celestia!" Twilight stared even harder. Finally she saw it. Her mane flowed just like Princess Celestia's, her head was the same shape, she was an alicorn just like the princess, her tail also looked the same. The only difference was her color and size. "Wow," said Twilight. "Wow is right," Rarity responded. "It's such a strange coincidence." "I know. It's completely unbelievable." "Anyway, would you like to come with us? We're introducing Auquasia to the rest of our friends." "Of course." The two rejoined the others and they all left to find the others.

"Applejack is the most honest pony you'll ever meet. I know you two will become great friends," Twilight told her new friend. The group approached Sweet Apple Acres. They could see Applejack bucking trees. As they walked up Applejack stopes her work to meet them.

"Well hi there y'all!" Applejack greeted them. "Hello, Applejack. I'd like to introduce you to Auquasia. She's an alicorn who's new to Ponyville," Twilight explained. "Well, hello sugarcube. I'm Applejack. Allow me to introduce you to the Apple family. That over there is Apple Fritter, Apple Bumpkin, Red Gala, Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Caramel Apple, Apple Strudel, Apple Tart, Baked Apples, Apple Brioche, Apple Cinnamon Crisp, Big McIntosh, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith," Applejack sounded off as she indicated each family member. "Wow. You have such a big family, when I don't know if I even have a family," Auquasia said sadly. "Well that's terrible, sugarcube. No pony should have to live without a family. But friends can be family too. You wanna be friends?" "That would be wonderful. Thank you, Applejack

"Now all we have to do is find Rainbow Dash. Does anypony know where she is?" Twilight asked her friends. No one new. "All right. I guess we should start looking," Twilight said.

The friends walked for a long time without any sign of Rainbow Dash. "Now where could Rainbow Dash be?" Applejack thought aloud. Suddenly they saw a rainbow flash past and felt a gust of wind. "Was somepony looking for me?" a voice said.

"There you are, Rainbow! We've been looking for you everywhere!" Twilight said in relief. "Were you looking for me because I'm awesome?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Actually, I wanted to introduce somepony to you. This is Auquasia. She's an alicorn who's new to Ponyville." "Hello Auquasia. The name's Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet ya. Not to brag, but I'm probably the best flyer in all of Ponyville. Oh, who am I kidding! I am the greatest flyer in all of Ponyville!" Rainbow Dash said confidently. "Nice to meet you too. And I'm sure you are," Auquasia said with a smile. "It's awesome to have a new friend around. Even though I could never get tired of these guys," Rainbow Dash said as she smiled at her friends. "We could never get tired of you either, Rainbow. But now I think Pinkie has something in mind," Twilight said as she smiled at Pinkie. "Let's party!" Pinkie exclaimed as she bounced up and down.

The friends went back to Twilight's castle. They invited all of their Ponyville friends. There were plenty of games. Everypony loved the cake made by Pinkie Pie. After the party the seven friends made a room for Auquasia. "Thank you, everypony. All the other ponies I've met before you guys would never do anything like this for me. I'm such a lucky pony to have met you all," Auquasia said. "We're lucky to have met you," said Twilight. As everypony but Twilight left the castle, Auquasia looked around her room. She couldn't believe anypony would do something like this for her. As Twilight went to the library, Auquasia stared out her window and gazed over all of Ponyville. All of the questions she had flew through her mind. She began to wonder once again if she would ever know the answers. But at least now she had friends who would care about her no matter what. As she slowly fell asleep, she wished that one day she might find the answers she was searching for.

Hey this is my second chapter of fan fiction. I know it's not that exciting yet but next chapter is when the action starts. I will try to post it tomorrow but if not it should be out Saturday. Thanks for reading this fan fiction and stay tuned for chapter three of The Quest For Harmony 1 The Forgotten Element P.S. If this chapter shows all the /p and strong and / sorry I guess it was a glitch this didn't happen for ch1 but if anyone knows why please comment in reviews thx! -Merry Meerkat


	3. Chapter 3 The Rise of the Freezelings

Chapter 3: The Rise of the Freezelings

Twilight awoke the next morning and looked out the window. She could not believe what she saw. It was summer, but ice and snow covered Ponyville in thick, spreading sheets. But how could that be? Maybe there was a problem in the weather factory. But whatever the reason, she thought she should check it out.

"Twilight, what's going on?" Auquasia asked her new friend. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out," Twilight replied. The two walked outside and stared at the white landscape. Twilight tried to melt some with magic, but the snow and ice remained cold and thick. "We need to talk to Rainbow Dash. Maybe she knows what's going on," Twilight decided.

The two headed over to Rainbow Dash's house. As they neared it, they could see her examining the ground. "Hey Rainbow Dash. Do you know what's going on," Twilight asked. "Not a clue. There seems to be no problem in the weather factory. It must be something else," Rainbow Dash responded. "Twilight tried to melt some with her magic, but it was still as cold and as thick as ever," Auquasia added. "We need to investigate. Unless we see something before then, we should ask around. But first we need to gather our friends," Twilight said to the other two.

The three set off and gathered their friends. Then they gathered at the center of Ponyville and saw the reason behind the snow and ice. Scattered around were hundreds, maybe thousands, of white creatures with fangs, piercing green eyes, and sharp claws. As they were breathing, snow and ice would come out of their mouth and froze the ground and any buildings. In the very center of them was a tall, white alicorn with fangs (one was broken) and a thin, drooped mane. Turning and seeing the mane 6 she smiled evilly and spoke with a thin, icy voice. "Well, well, well. Who do we have here? I know who you are. Everyone in Equestria knows who you are. Especially you Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship. How are you going to stop me? Your alicorn magic obviously didn't work," the creature said with a grin.

"Who are you and what are these creatures? And why are you spreading this winter over Ponyville?" Twilight asked the tall, white figure. "I am Queen Frostbite, and I rule over these creatures. We are called freezelings, creatures that can spread unmeltable winters if we choose. As for you questioning our spreading of winter, we're spreading a terrible eternal winter over all of Equestria, and finally the freezelings will take over." Queen Frostbite smiled evilly.

The seven friends gasped. "You cannot spread an eternal winter over all of Equestria!" Auquasia found herself exclaiming. "Oh. And what are you going to do about it. I don't even know who you are. Are you just a pony that tags along with the others?" Queen Frostbite said in a fake pity voice. The ponies glared at her. "She's a new friend, and you better leave her alone if you know what's good for ya," Rainbow Dash shouted. Queen Frostbite laughed. "And what are you going to do about that, Rainbow Dash?" Queen Frostbite said coldly. "Um, excuse me. We were just wondering if you would just melt your winter so we can enjoy summer, please," Fluttershy said quietly. "Oh, of course. Not," said Queen Frostbite.

Twilight glared at Queen Frostbite. "This has gone on long enough. Now remove your winter immediately," Twilight demanded. "Oh of course dear. Right after I visit Princess Celestia and turn myself in for trying to freeze Equestria," Queen Frostbite said sarcastically. "Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a land to freeze." Queen Frostbite flew away. "Well that went well," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically. "Well what do you expect from some evil ice baroness intent on freezing our whole world as we know it," Applejack replied. "Her hair really needs some work. It looks like a mop on her head," Rarity commented. "I think she's just having a bad day," Fluttershy said quietly. "You call freezing Equestria because you're some evil ice queen a bad day?" Pinkie exclaimed. _I don't have much experience with evil beings at all, but I'm pretty sure that was more than just a bad day. That look in her eye, that was evil intent,_ Auquasia thought to herself. As she was thinking about Queen Frostbite, she felt a strange feeling. A feeling as if she'd seen her before. The feeling grew stronger and stronger until she found herself running back to Twilight's castle to look in the pack she had brought with her.

"Auquasia, where are you going?" Twilight called out. Rainbow Dash zoomed after her and saw her go into the castle. With her friends just behind, Rainbow Dash flew inside and found Auquasia searching through her pack. Rainbow Dash leaped on her. "Hey! Why did you go running off like that? Are you some kind of spy?" Rainbow Dash yelled. "Rainbow! She ain't no spy!" Applejack called to her friend. "Was I a spy when I first came to Ponyville?" Twilight asked Rainbow Dash to remind her. "I'm sorry, Auquasia. I guess my imagination got the better of me," Rainbow Dash apologized. "It's ok, Rainbow Dash. I did sort of leave in a hurry. I just had this strong feeling I had seen her before. I thought I had something in here..." Auquasia trailed off as she brought out a sharp white object. It was the end of a fang.

All the friends gasped at what was brought out of her pack. "How- how do you have her fang?" Twilight stammered eventually. "I- I don't know! I just felt I had seen her before! But how could I have it...!" Auquasia was just as surprised as the others. "But we don't have any proof that this belongs to Queen Frostbite," Rarity commented. "That end of the fang perfectly matches the place where the end of her fang came off of," Twilight said. "But how..." Auquasia continued to murmur. "Auquasia, do you have any memory of your life before you were wandering Equestria?" Applejack asked. "No. And I don't know how I ever could've gotten this fang either." "Well we don't have time to figure this out right now. We need to stop Queen Frostbite," Twilight said. "But how, Twilight? Your magic didn't work," Fluttershy reminded her. "The only way to stop her now is to use the Elements of Harmony!" Twilight exclaimed.

"But we had to return them to the Tree, remember?" Rainbow Dash reminded her. "I know, but those vines that grew won't come back that quickly. Last time it took a while before the Everfree Forest started invading. We just need to harness them long enough to defeat Queen Frostbite," Twilight said. Everyone agreed and left the castle. But what they didn't know was a mist of white was outside the window and heard everything they planned to do. "So deep inside she remembers... But her conscience won't let her realize her past... Perfect," the figure said to herself as she watched the group head to the Everfree forest. "When I'm done, she'll have no memory left..."

Merry Meerkat: hey guys! This is my third chapter of fan fiction and my first story! Hope you enjoy this! Chapter 4 should be out tomorrow if I have time. If that weird thing with the slashes and p's happens again, I'm sorry. I don't know how it happened yesterday. Maybe a glitch. If you know why please let me know. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4: Finding the Elements

Chapter 4: Finding the Elements

The seven friends stood in front of a dark, gloomy forest. "Wha- wha- what's that?" Auquasia stammered. "That there is the Everfree Forest," Applejack answered. "Deep inside lies the castle of the two pony sisters," Twilight explained. "And the Tree of Harmony," Rainbow Dash added. "That's were we'll find our dazzling Elements of Harmony," Rarity commented. "What exactly are the Elememts of Harmony?" Auquasia asked. "The Elements of Harmony are capable of ridding Equestria of evil and defeating those who try to disrupt harmony. The elements are laughter, kindness, generosity, honesty, loyalty, and magic," Twilight told her friend. "And we need them to stop that evil snow meanie," Pinkie Pie shouted. "We'd better go find the elements. All those poor, innocent creatures suffering in the cold..." Fluttershy said. As the friends entered the Everfree Forest a white mist followed them.

"The Everfree Forest looks lovely in winter," Rarity found herself saying. "But scary," Fluttershy said shaking. "Like my sister!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. The others smiled at her and rolled their eyes. Classic Pinkie Pie. But even with Pinkie with them to make them laugh, the Everfree Forest was still as terrifying as ever. The white mist followed as the friends walked through the forest. The white mist surrounded a vine and made it grow and expand. Suddenly it became alive and started searching for prey. It slithered towards the friends and wrapped around Auquasia's legs.

Auquasia screamed. Her friends looked at her in horror and ran over to her. "Applejack, you hold on to Auquasia. Everypony else, we need to stop that plant. The plant tried to pull Auquasia back. Applejack kept a hold of her friend. "I've got you, sugarcube. It's gonna be fine," Applejack assured the terrified alicorn. "What is it Applejack?" Auquasia asked in fright. "I don't know sugarcube. But we're gonna stop it," Applejack said soothingly. Applejack looked up at the terrible monster. Then she looked back down at Auquasia. "I'm about to say something that's gonna seem crazy, but I need you to trust me. Let go of me and let the beast pull you," Applejack told her. "But it will get me! Applejack, if I let go, I'll be... gone!" Auquasia exclaimed. "I would never lie to you. Trust me." Auquasia stared into Applejack's eyes. Finally she closed her eyes and let go. As she went flying backwards she suddenly felt herself stopping and then being picked up by something. She opened her eyes to see Rainbow Dash flying with her to safety.

"Are you ok?" her friends asked as they helped her remove the vines. "I'm fine. That was so strange. I tried to fly but or use magic but eventually the vines wrapped around my wings and my horn. How did you guys save me?" Auquasia asked. "After Applejack told you to let go, Twilight used her magic to burn through the vine. Eventually if the vine was closer it would have healed itself, but I flew fast and picked you up and flew you far away to safety," Rainbow Dash explained. "Well thank you guys so much. I don't know what I'd do without you guys," Auquasia admitted. "Well we'd better get going. Those elements aren't going to find themselves," Twilight said. But as they kept walking through the Everfree Forest the white mist still followed close behind.

The white mist suddenly zoomed ahead without being noticed. It surrounded a large snake who was lurking in the shadows. As the white mist surrounded it, the snake began to grow. It slithered slowly out of the shadows. The friends were walking when they saw the large snake emerge. It hissed at them and slithered forward. The friends backed away from the snake's head which was now bigger than them. It raised up its head, and in this position was almost as tall as the trees. "What do we do," Rarity whispered as they backed away. "Fight," Rainbow Dash whispered as she prepared to charge at the snake. The snake hissed loudly as they backed away quicker than before. "No. Run!" Twilight shouted. Everypony but Fluttershy ran away from the snake. "Wait," she called out quietly to them. Knowing she couldn't get friends' attention she flew slowly towards the snake. The snake was white with blue eyes. "Hello, Mr. Snake. I love the color of your scales," Fluttershy calmly complemented. As the others were running away, Twilight suddenly stopped. "Wait, where's Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. They all turned around and saw Fluttershy flying towards the large snake. "Fluttershy!" the ponies exclaimed as they ran back to their friend. "Is something wrong, Mr. Snake?" Fluttershy asked as the snaked hissed quietly. Fluttershy flew around him and spotted a very large stick stuck in his side. "Oh, you poor dear," she said as she flew toward the log. She grabbed the log and tugged it until finally it came out. The snake hissed loudly in pain. "Fluttershy!" her friends exclaimed thinking she was in trouble. When they approached the snake they saw Fluttershy sitting on his head and stroking his scales. "Fluttershy! Get down! He'll eat you!" Pinkie Pie whispered. "Oh, Pinkie. He would never do that. He was his sin because he had a log stuck between two scales," Fluttershy said. The others were amazed at how calm their friend was. "Well how are you gonna get him to move," Rainbow Dash asked. "Mr. Snake, would you mind moving so me and my friends can walk this way?" Fluttershy asked. The snake calmly slithered away. "Thank you, Mr. Snake," Fluttershy called. "How did you do that Fluttershy?" Auquasia asked. "All it took was a little kindness," Fluttershy responded. Just as before, the white mist followed them along the path.

The white mist once again zoomed ahead and created snowponies. Their faces were snarled, terrible, and angry. This time she knew her plan would work. The seven friends walked through the forest and noticed the snowponies. "Who would be building snowponies in the Everfree Forest?" Applejack asked. The group walked up to the snowponies. They saw the faces and screamed. They turned to run but everywhere they turned was a snowpony with a snarled face. But as they all backed into each other they heard Pinkie laugh. "Pinkie?" her friends asked surprised. "Oh come on, guys. It's just a silly face," Pinkie said cheerfully. "It's scary. How can you act like it's just some silly face?" Fluttershy asked. Suddenly Pinkie started to sing:

 _When I was a little filly and the sun was going down_

"Not this song again..." Rainbow Dash said.

 _The darkness and the shadows they would always make me frown_

 _"_ You've heard this song before?" Auquasia asked in confusion.

 _I'd hide under my pillow_

 _From what I thought I saw_

 _But granny Pie said that wasn't the way_

 _To deal with fears at all_

 _"_ Then what is?" Auquasia asked.

 _She said, Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall_

 _Learn to face your fears_

 _You'll see that they can't hurt you_

 _Just laugh to make them disappear_

Pinkie bounced over to a snowpony and laughed. "Ha. Ha. Ha," she said. Suddenly the snarling face disappeared.

Auquasia gasped. "Pretty cool, huh?" Rainbow Dash said.

 _So giggle at the ghostly_

 _Guffaw at the grossly_

 _Crack up at the creepy_

 _Whoop it up with the weepy_

 _Chortle at the kooky_

 _Snortle at the spooky_

 _And tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing that just makes you wanna hahahaha... Heh... Laaaaaaugh!_

Pinkie took her friends toward the snowponies and they began to laugh. Suddenly the faces weren't that scary. As they laughed the terrible faces disappeared. They left the snowponies and continued to laugh as they continued their journey. Meanwhile the most was planning another scheme to stop the seven friends from reaching the Elements of Harmony.

The white mist zoomed past a figure. The figure dropped something which hit the ground as it broke. The figure started sobbing. The friends heard the sobbing and approached the figure. It was a tall creature that appeared to be half lizard, half eagle. It had the head, arms, and legs of a lizard and the wings, body, and feathers of an eagle. "Um, excuse me, but what seems to be the problem?" Twilight asked. "Well, you see, a flash of white zoomed past as I was on my way home. I was carrying a blueberry gem, a blue gem that is extremely rare. But when the white flash zoomed by me it made me drop my gem. And now it's broken into a million pieces!" the creature explained. "Oh, give me a break! We're saving the world here! That's much more important than some silly gem!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Rainbow Dash, how dare you! Losing a blueberry gem is very serious business. Now you sir, I was saving this for a dress I've been working on," Rarity said as she took a large blue gem,"but I think you should have it instead." "But why did you bring that gem in the first place?" Applejack asked. "With that ice queen running around, it's not safe to leave valuables lying around!" Rarity defended herself. "Miss, you mean I can have it?" the creature asked. "Of course. You need it more than I do. I can go searching for one another day..." Rarity said as she handed the creature the gem. "Oh thank you! I need to head home now. So goodbye! And thank you!" the creature shouted as he walked. "Goodbye," the girls said as they continued their journey. Behind them the white mist had a plan that would certainly stop the girls from finding the elements.

The white mist slithered along the ground and sunk into the dirt under the girls. Suddenly the dirt caved and the friends fell into a pit. As her friends fell, Rainbow Dash was able to fly to keep herself from falling, but the others were taken by surprise and fell. As the others hit the ground, the white mist seeped into the wings and horns of the ponies. "Is everypony alright?" Twilight asked. They all nodded. As Twilight tried to fly out she found her wings didn't work. She tried to teleport her friends out of the hole, but her magic also refused to work. It was the same with all the ponies except Rainbow Dash. "I'll go find a vine to pull you guys out," she called to them. As she walked through the forest the white mist turned itself into Spitfire and Soarin from the Wonderbolts. The fake figures approached Rainbow Dash. "Hey Rainbow Dash. Nice to see you again. We've been looking for ya," the fake Spitfire said. "Oh, hey Spitfire. Hey Soarin. What do you need?" Rainbow Dash asked. "The day's finally here. Now's your chance to be recognized as a Wonderbolt," the fake Soarin said. "Really?! You mean there's finally a spot for me?!" Rainbow Dash asked in disbelief. "Yep. Congratulations! But if you want to be one you need to leave with us now," Spitfire said. Rainbow Dash stared at the fake Spitfire. "Well can't it wait? I need to help my friends and stop Queen Frostbite," Rainbow Dash explained. "No. It's us, or your friends," Soarin said. Rainbow Dash thought deeply. Finally she said, "Thank you." "I new she would be interested," the fake Spitfire said to her companion. "No. Thank you for offering. But my friends are more important," Rainbow Dash said as she flew away with a vine. The two figures turned back into white mist and followed Rainbow Dash. "Thanks, Rainbow," Twilight said as they all climbed out of the ditch. The ponies found their magic and ability to fly restored. "No problem," Rainbow Dash said. "Now let's get the elements!" Pinkie Pie shouted. The white mist left the girls and went flying out of the Everfree Forest.

The girls arrived at the ancient castle and walked up to the Tree of Harmony which stood nearby. "So those are the elements," Auquasia said. Twilight walked up to the tree and removed her friends' elements. As she did they each turned back to their necklace form. She put each element on her friends' necks. Twilight returned to the tree. Auquasia noticed one element seemed to be missing. But Twilight walked up to the tree and used her magic on the center of the tree which Auquasia realized matched Twilight's cutie mark. Suddenly another element appeared in crown form and Twilight placed it on her head. "Wow," Auquasia murmured. "Oh, it feels so good to be reunited with my element," Rarity commented.

"I can't believe I didn't realize this before," Auquasia said, more to herself than the others. "You didn't realize what, Auquasia?" Twilight asked. "That you guys represent those Elements of Harmony. Applejack is honesty, Fluttershy is kindness, Pinkie Pie is laughter, Rarity is generosity, Rainbow Dash is loyalty, and you are magic, Twilight. When you first told me about the elements I never really considered how much you guys represent them. And everything that's happened since we entered Everfree has helped me to realize how much you guys are like the elements," Auquasia explained. "Wow. I guess all those experiences really did make us represent our elements," Fluttershy said. "Well we need to hurry back to Ponyville before things get any worse," Rainbow Dash said as a strong wind blew on the friends. The friends headed back through Everfree to defeat Queen Frostbite.

Merry Meerkat: hey hope you enjoyed this chapter! I was trying to give Auquasia experiences to help her realize they represented the elements like Twilight had. And I made it similar to when Nightmare Moon was in the forest and was a blue mist or fog. I will try to post chapter 5 tomorrow! :) ;) and sorry this is longer than the first few chapters I think


	5. Chapter 5: Harmony Failed

Chapter 5: Harmony Failed

The friends ran out of the Everfree Forest and charged into Ponyville. They searched everywhere but could not find Queen Frostbite. But the freezelings were everywhere and overwhelmed Ponyville. "How are we going to use the Elements of Harmony if we can't even find Queen Frostbite?" Twilight asked her friends. "We've searched everywhere!" The other ponies started to think. "Not everywhere..." Auquasia said. Twilight thought for a moment and realized what she meant. The ponies followed Twilight as she charged off to find Queen Frostbite.

The friends arrived at Twilight's castle. Queen Frostbite was nowhere in sight. "Where is she?" Twilight asked. "Maybe we should go look at that white mist over there," Pinkie suggested as she pointed at a strange white mist. The ponies walked over to it. Suddenly it took the form of Queen Frostbite. "It's pleasure to see you all again," Queen Frostbite said in her cold voice. "Your cold winter is over, Frostbite!" Twilight exclaimed. "Really? But I just started." "Say hello to the Elements of Harmomy!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Frostbite laughed. "What can those little crystals do against a powerful alicorn like me?" Frostbite asked. "Soon you'll find out," Twilight said. The six friends started to use the elements. Auquasia watched in awe as a rainbow went around the friends. But soon the rainbow disappeared. The Elements of Harmony weren't working. "What?" Twilight said. Frostbite laughed evilly. I guess I really am too powerful for you!" she shouted. Twilight and her friends tried again to no avail. "Why aren't they working?" Twilight asked. "I'll just leave you all to this. I have some freezing to do," Frostbite said. She turned back into mist form and creeped away.

"How?" Twilight asked. "We have all the elements. It should have worked." "What are we going to do, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked. "We need to write a letter to Princess Celestia. She'll know what to do," Twilight said. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go write a letter!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

The he friends burst into the castle. "Spike, take a letter," Twilight told the dragon. Spike took out a scroll and a pen and began to write. "Dear Princess Celestia, as you may already know, creatures called freezelings are invading Equestria. Me and my friends took it upon ourselves to use the Elements of Harmony to stop her from freezing all of Equestria. However, the Elements of Harmony failed to defeat her, and the freezelings are roaming Equestria in great swarms. We would like to know if you have any idea of how to stop the freezelings. Sincerely, Twilight Sparke" Spike wrote down every word she said and sent it off.

"Why hasn't the princess sent a letter yet?" Rainbow Dash asked in frustration. "She must be busy, darling. Being a princess and all, she has many royal duties. Have some patience," Rarity said to her friend. Suddenly Spike burped out a letter. The friends gathered around it. "Dear Twilight Sparkle, I, Princess Luna, write to you on behalf of my sister who has suddenly gone missing. I too have seen the overwhelming masses of freezelings invading Equestria. I regret to inform you that I have no information that could help you to rid Equestria of these terrible creatures. But I know of a place where you can find the answers you are looking for; the library in the Crystal Empire. It holds many old books that tell of creatures like the freezelings and it may have books about the Elements of Harmomy. I only hope you find what you seek. With a heavy heart, Princess Luna," Twilight read.

"The Princess is missing?!" everypony exclaimed. "Oh I hope she's alright," Fluttershy said. "I bet Queen Frostbite has something to do with this!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "We need to head to the Crystal Empire right away," Twilight decided. "Twilight, have you checked to see if you have any books on the elements?" Applejack asked. "I have. And I couldn't find any information that could help us in this situation." "I can't wait to go to the Crystal Empire!" Rarity exclaimed. Everypony looked at her. "What?" Rarity asked. "Spike, I need you to watch the castle. Who knows what Queen Frostbite might be up to," Twilight told the dragon. "You expect me to stay here?! With that freeze crazy pony running around?!" a terrified Spike asked. "Please, Spike. You will be completely safe in here." Reluctantly, Spike sighed. "Fine. Just don't be gone too long." "Thank you, Spike. Now come on, girls. We're going to the Crystal Empire!"

Merry Meerkat: Hey! Thanks for reading this! I will probably post another chapter today since this one was a little short. Hope you liked the chapter! Feel free to comment. :) ;)


	6. Chapter 6: Answers Found

Chapter 6: Answers Found

The seven friends got off the train and arrived at the Crystal Empire. "Wow. The Crystal Empire is amazing!" Auquasia exclaimed in awe. "We need to go to the Crystal Library. There we surely will be able to find the answers," Twilight said hopefully. The ponies walked through the city. "I guess the freezelings haven't been here yet," Rarity commented. "Twilight, shouldn't we warn Princess Cadence and Shining Armor?" Fluttershy asked with slight fear in her voice. "Good idea, Fluttershy. If we can warn them in time, we can save the Crystal Empire from the freezelings."

The friends rushed to the castle and were taken to see Cadence and Shining Armor. "Twilie!" Shining Armor exclaimed, happy to see his sister. "Cadence, Shining Armor, creatures called freezelings have invaded Equestria! You need to protect the Crystal Empire!" Twilight exclaimed. After hearing this Cadence immediately made a force field to surround the Crystal Empire. "Wow. Thanks for warning us, Twilight. I can't imagine how the Crystal ponies would feel if they had to suffer an eternal winter," Cadence told Twilight. "Twilie, why didn't you use the Elements of Harmony? You have them right there," Shining Armor asked his sister. "We tried. The elements didn't work..." Twilight trailed off. "That's why we're here. We're going to the Crystal Library!" Pinkie said excitedly. "You should go ahead then. I don't think Equestria will save itself," Cadence said with a smile. The ponies nodded and rushed to the library.

"How may I help you?" the librarian asked the friends. "We're looking for books on the Elememts of Harmony and freezelings," Twilight said to the old librarian. "Oh, well we have books on at least one of those topics. Where would those be? Now let me see..." the librarian trailed off. "I'm sorry. I don't remember where they are. You're gonna have to find those there books by yourselves." "Thank you anyway," Twilight said sadly. "Now what do we do," Pinkie said loudly. "Shhhhh!" all the ponies in the library said. "Sorry..." Pinkie whispered. "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, you take the right. Pinkie Pie and Rarity, you take the left. Auquasia, Applejack, and I will take the middle," Twilight said as she developed a plan to find the books.

"Found anything?" Twilight whispered to Auquasia and Applejack. "No," the two responded. Twilight sighed. She felt they would never find what they were looking for. After she finished searching the middle, Twilight walked to the front of the library to meet up with her friends. "Find anything?" Twilight asked. "No," they all answered. "I didn't find anything. Just some book called 'The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide Volume Two: The Forgotten Elements,'" Pinkie Pie said. The others stared at her. "What? Doesn't Twilight have this book? She owns, like, every book in the world!" Pinkie exclaimed. "Pinkie, where'd you find this?" Twilight asked in relief. "It was under 'E'!" Pinkie Pie said bouncing up and down. "Heh heh," Twilight muttered, embarrassed that she had forgotten the books were divided by letter.

The friends took the book to a table where Twilight opened it. She flipped through the pages until she found new information. "There are six Elements of Harmony that everypony knows exists. They are laughter, generosity, honesty, loyalty, kindness, and, more recently discovered, magic. But legend has it that there is more to the Elements of Harmony than there seems to be. There is a legend that long ago, creatures called freezelings invaded Equestria, threatening to bring an eternal winter to the land. Princess Celestia tried to use the Elements of Harmony against them, but the freezelings were not defeated. This forced Princess Celestia to banish them with all the magic she had to the icy tundras of the northern lands, but this spell was not permanent. The legend states that one day the freezelings will return. Over the years there was said to be a seventh element, a forgotten element if you will, that would aid in the defeat of the freezelings. These legends have long been forgotten, and the seventh element has been said to still be in the Everfree Forest, waiting to be discovered," Twilight read from the book.

"Seven elements?" Twilight asked as she finished reading. "How could we have defeated so many other villains with only six elements?" Fluttershy quietly asked. "I don't know. Maybe most villains we've defeated just aren't strong enough to have to use the seventh element against," Twilight said. "Is there any more information on the forgotten element?" Rarity asked. Twilight quickly flipped through the book. "No. This is all the information we have. We need to find that seventh element," Twilight said. The ponies left the library and headed back over to the train station.

Merry Meerkat: Hey guys! This is my first time writing two chapters in one day! I've had a lot of free time since I've been on break and now I'm getting back into school. I'll still try to post a chapter each day, but if I don't it will be out soon. And once I'm done with this story I'm going to make a series of sequels. So stay tuned!


	7. ch7 a secret revealed & a heart healed

Chapter 7: A Secret Revealed and a Broken Heart Healed

As the seven friends were on their way back to Ponyville, Queen Frostbite had some decisions to make. Should she tell her? She had originally hoped she would never remember it. I mean, what harm would it do? It would just be a silly shock. But what if it jogged her memory? She couldn't take that risk. But on the other hand, what harm could it possibly do? All it would cause was some harmless heartbreak, terror, and confusion. But, if you once again remember the fact that her whole memory is at stake, she might remember what she was capable of. But that wasn't likely. And even if she remembered, she probably wouldn't be able to stop her. She would tell her. But what about her friends? They most likely would figure out how to stop her. She knew what they were capable of, and what the other princesses were capable of. That was why she took extreme measures; kidnapping the princesses. But it was not yet necessary to take Twilight. In fact, she would take care of her when she took care of her friends. She would have to bring out her most powerful spell yet to keep them from stopping her. But should she use the spell on Auquasia? After all, she would seem more cruel if she did because of the secret she had kept from her. But she would be powerless without her friends. There was no need to use the spell on her. Now that Queen Frostbite had organized her thoughts, she was ready to face the ponies she had been waiting for.

Once the friends had arrived, they charged through the center of Ponyville. Suddenly Queen Frostbite appeared in front of them. "Greetings, ponies," she said in a menacing voice. "What do you want, Frostbite?" Rainbow Dash yelled back. "Oh, nothing much. Just to share some information. Some information that concerns your new little friend here. Did I ever tell you how much you've grown, cousin?!" The seven friends gasped. "W-what?!" Auquasia said in shock. "Oh, did I not tell you? Oh, I must have forgotten. But really, you must excuse a little fact like that. It really doesn't matter." "But how are you my cousin? How am I related to such a cruel pony? And you must be lying, because you acted like you didn't know me before." "Oh, sweetie. I acted like I didn't know you so you wouldn't find out what I didn't want you to know." "And what was that?" "Oh, come now. I can't tell you everything. I have my secrets to, you know. But I really must be going. And I'm sure you have a lot to do..." With that Queen Frostbite disappeared with a flash. The seven friends stood for a while in silence, in shock of the recent conversation. Finally Auquasia spoke. "Let's go find the forgotten element," she said. As the ponies once again galloped into the Everfree Forest, the white mist once again followed them into the glistening trees.

"Where do we start?" Applejack asked Twilight. "I guess we should start by returning to the castle of the two sisters. That is the most likely place to find it," Twilight responded. To hinder the group, the white mist when hissing through the trees, changing the path ever so slightly so as the others wouldn't notice. It moved them just far enough for the ponies to get stuck in an area unknown to anypony there ever was, except the two sisters, and the pony who guarded the place.

The ponies drew nearer and nearer to the place without even knowing it. As they drew near, though, they could see the shadows of a gate nearby. "I don't remember there being a gate here. Especially one so... old fashioned, to say the least," Rarity commented. "I hate to say this, but she's right. That gate needs a major makeover. Stat," said Rainbow Dash. "Hmm... Maybe we took the wrong path," Twilight suggested. Suddenly there was a loud booming voice. "Who goes there?!" it shouted. "What was that?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Who goes there?" Suddenly a figure landed right in front of the group. He was a pegasus with a key and lock as a cutie mark. He had a dark grey coat and a whit mane. He appeared to be very old.

"What are all of you doing here?" the figure exclaimed. "Oh, hello. I'm Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship, and these are my friends; Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Auquasia. We were just trying to get to the castle of the two sisters. Would you please let us through?" Twilight said to the pegasus. "No! Never in a thousand years has anyone been let through this gate. I am the Gatekeeper. My family has guarded this gate for generations. Even when the castle was abandoned, my family has guarded it. I'm not letting you go through," the Gatekeeper said sternly. "But the entire fate of Eqestria depends on us getting to the castle! Let us through, will ya?" Rainbow Dash said, obviously annoyed. "Never will I let anyone through this gate for as long as I live!" shouted the Gatekeeper. "Oh, ok. I guess we'll go," Fluttershy said as she turned to leave. "Come back, Fluttershy," Twilight said. "Mr. Gatekeeper, may I ask why you never let anyone through?" Auquasia asked. "No one has ever been loving towards me. My own family despised me. And one day I woke up, and my family was gone. They left my to live on my own when I was just a colt. I had friends at the time, and they comforted me. But then my friends began to avoid me, and one day they told me that they didn't want to be my friends. I was heartbroken. Ever since then I have vowed not to be loving towards anypony."

"That is terrible. And, believe it or not, I know how you feel. I have no idea if I have a family, and only recently did I gain these ponies as friends. And I'm sure under that seemingly cold attitude lies a loving heart. I'll be your friend, if you like. I know you can be a better pony. And no matter what anyone else thinks, you are a very lovable pony." Everyone stared at Auquasia, for the voice was hers. "Wow... I... No pony has ever said such a thing... I've never been loved before... I... Thank you,... Friend," the Gatekeeper said in disbelief. "The pleasure's mine for gaining such a wonderful friend." "Well, come on through. I don't know what happened to the other trail, but this one will meet up with the path you should have been on in the first place. Good luck!" The Gatekeeper opened the gate and let the ponies through. "How could you see the good in such a grumpy pony?" asked Twilight. "I thought of how good it felt to be loved. Before I had friends I was the saddest pony you'd ever meet. Everypony wants to be loved, and everypony needs to be loved. No matter what. Sometimes just showing a little bit of love makes all the difference," Auquasia replied with a smile. As they followed the path, the white mist followed close behind.

Merry Meerkat: hi guys! Sorry I haven't posted the chapter sooner! I've been busy. Hope you like this chapter and will update soon. Thanks, bye!


	8. Chapter 8: Humble Love

Chapter 8: Humble Love

As the ponies plodded along the path, the white mist was planning what evil she might do against the friends to stop them from retrieving the forgotten element. She remembered an old trick she had learned from her sister Chrysalis that had always worked in dire need. Surely she would be able to catch them off their guard and keep the group from finding the forgotten elements. The only thing she had forgotten when she formed this plan was that these ponies were tougher than they looked.

The friends finally approached the main path to the castle that they had started on before they were off course. Auquasia was at the back of the group when suddenly a dark figure appeared in front of her. All she could see of the figure's was cold, gleaming eyes. As Auquasia kept walking, the figure floated backwards, still looking at Auquasia. Since no pony else had said anything, she decided to speak to the dark, shadowy figure,

"Excuse me, who are you?" Auquasia asked in a confused tone. "Do not be afraid. I am a shadowpony, creatures who dwell in the darkness of the Everfree Forest. I have come to congratulate you." To Auquasia's surprise, no pony else noticed the figure. "I assume you are wondering why no pony has said anything about me. That's because I have developed a spell that makes me only appear to you. You are also the only pony who can hear me. But I wanted to congratulate you for getting your friends past the Gatekeeper. No pony but you would be able to pull that off." This time she knew she had the pony in her grasp. Soon, Auquasia would be absorbed in her pride and forget about her friends.

Auquasia stopped walking. "Why, that's very nice of you, but I can't take all the credit. Those ponies turned me into the pony I am now. Without them I could never have changed the Gatekeeper." "Oh, don't be modest. We both know that you were the one that convinced him, and without you those others ponies could not have gotten through." "Again, thank you for being so nice, but all I did was be kind to somepony. Sometimes showing others love can make a big difference. Now I need to catch up to my friends. Bye!" Auquasia galloped to catch up with her friends. Behind her the angry figure turned back into mist and followed the group. This was the first time Chrysalis's advice to Frostbite had ever gone wrong.

"Hey, where'd you go?" Pinkie Pie asked gleefully. "Oh, there was this pony who was congratulating me on getting us past the Gatekeeper. But I can't take all the credit. Before I met you, I knew nothing about kindness or love. But you guys showed me the magic of friendship, and that love is humble. You showed me that there are things that you can't take all the credit for, because others inspired you to be the pony you are. And you show love to everypony by being humble, and not bragging about your successes, even if no pony else helped you. Twilight told me about when Trixie came to Ponyville. No pony liked how she showed off and bragged. You are very kind and loving to other ponies when you are truly humble."The ponies continued to walk as the white mist floated not far behind.

Merry Meerkat: Hey everyone! Or should I say everypony! There are still many chapters left, so stay tuned! Thanks for reading! Bye! P. S. I updated chapter 7. It's only one sentence that I added but wanted to let you guys know.


	9. Chapter 9: A Betrayal Refused

Chapter 9: A Betrayal Refused

How did she escape from pride? The power in this pony, although she did not know it, was as strong as it had been 800 years before. As it is said, courage is found in the most unlikely places, sometimes. Strength can be found in the smallest of the small, but it is strength none the less. The ant is small, but has great strength. Who would have guessed there was strength is such an unlikely creature. Frostbite knew this, and realized the silly tricks she had started with were much to simple to trick this pony. For this pony was special. She would have to use her desires against her.

"Come on, girls. We've got a lot of ground to cover," Twiligh announced to the group. "I hope we find that element. Otherwise Equestria's going to be colder than the icebergs of the frozen north," Applejack commented. "Oh, I hope all the little furry creatures are okay. They didn't have time to prepare for the ice and snow," Fluttershy said in a worried tone. Auquasia was lost in thought, thinking of the element. What was it? Where was it? How would they find it? Suddenly she heard a whispering voice inside her head.

 _"I can help you see the light, but you must not be overcome by fright."_

"What was that," Auquasia thought to herself. _"I was sent for a purpose, but you must promise not to be nervous. No pony else can hear these thoughts, that you may be confident that they hear not. But now I have a story to tell, of those who in this land used to dwell. After the pony sisters discovered the elements, an element was not included in their collection. One was missing, forgotten as it were. And of where it went no pony knew for sure. I can give you some advice, but a pony like you must pay the price."_

"You mean, you, whatever you are, know where the forgotten element is?" Auquasia said in her thoughts. " _I know where the element is indeed, but let us discuss this with great speed. The element is what you seek, but if you want my help a promise you must keep."_

"Well, what do ask of me," Auquasia thought. _"These friends you have you must betray, or this information I will not give away. I will only tell you what I know if you let your best friends go."_

"But I could never do that. We're in this together. I'm not about to let them go just to get the element," Auquasia thought. _"To not agree is your loss, for you will fail to pay the cost. I will give you one more chance, to bring yourself out of the trance. The trance that has made you think friends are more important than what you seek."_

"But they are more important. I can't just leave them. One does not simply betray a true friend. A true friend sticks by the others, hoping for the best. To betray a true friend is like betraying yourself. The element is important, but friendship is much more. The Elements of Harmony represent friendship. Betraying a true friend does not show true friendship. Therefore if I were to betray my friends to find the element, the element would be useless, for a true friend sticks by her friends, no matter what. So get out of my head. I do not accept."

 _"Fine, but the loss is yours. I'll leave you to keep going on your course."_ That was the last Auquasia heard of the voice in her head. "How strange," Auquasia though to herself. For who could get inside her head? Once again the white mist followed with plans to break Auquasia from the group.


	10. Chapter 10: Courtesy and Patience

Chapter 10: Courtesy and Patience

As the friends were walking deeper and deeper into the Everfree with every step, Frostbite decided she must try to turn the friends against each other. It actually wasn't a total disaster; she could enjoy it much more than any of her past tricks. Using the many tricks she had learned growing up from her big sister Chrysalis, she made her appearance change to that of an old mare. She grew shorter, hid her wings and her fangs, and changed the appearance of her hair to hide the streaks of white and blue revealing her true identity.

She could only change her appearance because, as Chrysalis's sister, she had been taught how to do so. Changelings could naturally do so; it was how they gained power. But Freezelings did not have the power deep inside to do so; they gained power through spreading terrible ice and feeding off of the darkness and hatred deep inside the hearts of ponies who were foolish enough to fall into the icy trap of the Freezelings.

Once transformed, the disguised Frostbite hobbled along the path to catch up with the friends. "Oh, excuse me. Could you help a lost old mare find her way home? I live here in the Everfree Forest, but I can't seem to figure out where in it I exactly am," Frostbite said in the voice of an elderly mare.

The friends turned around, having not noticed the mare. "Oh, of course. What part of the Everfree Forest do you live in?" Twilight asked in a calm, inviting and yet surprised tone.

"Where are we now?" Frostbite said, trying to think of a far away section of the Everfree."

"We are..." Twilight said, checking her map,"about at the southeastern side of the Everfree, give or take."

"Oh, well I live at about the south end," Frostbite decided, as if she had actually lived there her whole life. "That must be side tracking you all a great deal. You'd be retracing most of your steps, only to have to take them again. I don't want to cause you all any trouble."

"Oh, not at all," Twilight responded with a slightly nervous chuckle. "It's not like the fate of Equestria lies in our hooves and our hooves alone."

"Thank you. It shouldn't take too long."

"As long as you have an idea of where it is," Twilight said to the disguised mare.

An hour had passed and the ponies still hadn't found the house of the old mare. The mare had often debated with herself on which path to take and had made them go off course an uncountable amount of times. Almost everypony was on their last nerve. They had grown tired of having to deal with the old mare who claimed to have gotten lost. The fate of Equestria was at stake and they were helping an old mare who had gotten lost in the Everfree Forest to find her house. Not only had the mare directed them off course "accidentally", as she said, but sometimes the path that she claimed was the right path led to countless dangers. Rattlesnakes, a manticore (Fluttershy's knowledge and talent for animals helped with those two), avalanches, swamps, bogs, and quicksand were only but a few of their troubles.

Rainbow Dash, unable to contain her frustration any longer, burst out in anger, "Are we almost there or not?! You say you know, but in reality I doubt you do. We don't have the time to go running around in the Everfree, acting like the fate of Equestria doesn't matter!"

"Rainbow Dash! How dare you say such a thing to such a sweet old lady?! It's easy to get lost in the Everfree Forest; it could happen to anypony," Fluttershy defended.

"She's right, Rainbow; it could happen to anypony..." Auquasia agreed, but suddenly trailed off. She had a distant vision of a pony being lost in the Everfree Forest. She was only a filly, and she was running as fast as her legs could carry her small body. She was sobbing as she ran, not knowing where it was she was going, but she new she had to get away. She new she had to escape something. Her vision ended, and Auquasia stood spellbound. She real ized the filly was her; she was running through the Everfree. Auquasia realized that it must have been a memory. But it must have been long ago...

A voice brought Auquasia out of her trance. "Uh, are you all right, sugarcube?" Applejack finally spoke up. Her friends all stared at her in worry. Although she did not know it, Auquasia had been sobbing when the memories came flooding back. As she came to herself, she realized she had been crying, wiped her tears, and explained the memory. The others were shocked; this was the first memory Auquasia had of her past. Auquasia kept insisting they should talk about it later; they needed to get the old mare home. The others finally agreed and continued to search for the home of the old mare.

"Now, which way do you think your house is, ma'am?" Auquasia said with a smile. While the others had grown tired of following the mare's false leads, Auquasia had decided to listen to the mare, no matter what the o""dds might be, and to make sure she made it home.

"Are you sure you wanna go through with this?" Rainbow Dash asked her friend.

"Of course, Rainbow. We need to be patient with her; she's older and most likely very tired. We also should be courteous, which means being polite and considerate of her feelings. It may be difficult, but we need to show her that we care," Auquasia informed Rainbow Dash.

Finally they came to a house on the southern end of the Everfree. "Thank you for helping a poor old mare like me. Now why don't you continue on your way," the old mare said. As soon as the ponies were out of sight, Frostbite returned to her true form. She was baffled. How could anypony hold out so long? How could anypony have the will to keep going, even if the journey seemed endless? She thought it would break up the group and they would fight over what was best, but, because of Auquasia, they all held out longer than anypony had ever before. As she began to form a new plan, she turned into the white mist and floated silently after the group. Getting to Auquasia would be harder than she thought, for deep inside her heart a shadow of her former self was still cast. And, now that she regained some memory, it would be harder to bring the dark to hide the shadows. But at least this little trip gave her extra time to use against her.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Contentment is the Key

Frostbite was tired of the tolerance of the ponies. How could they keep going on together... after what they had just gone through? Maybe friendship was stronger than she thought. Nonsense. She just hadn't made it hard enough on them. Frostbite began to slowly change into a pegasus mare with a bean for a cutie mark. After making her transformation she charged after the group.

"Excuse me!"

The ponies whirled around. "Oh, what can we do for ya, sugarcube?" Applejack asked politely.

Rainbow Dash edged close to Applejack. "What are you doing?! Do you want to run all over the Everfree again?" she whispered.

"I'm just tryin' to be nice, Rainbow. And besides, I doubt that will happen." The two ponies turned their attention back to the pegasus.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Vanilla Bean. First, I want to thank you for gettin' my Grannie Bean back home safely. I was worryin' 'bout her. And second, with my Grannie Bean gettin' old and all, I have to handle the bean plantin' responsibilities by my self. But a huge boulder fell on top of the plantin' grounds. I reckon I can move it if I had one of you to help me. Would any of you be kind enough to help me move the massive rock?"

"Of course. I'll go help you," Auquasia offered. Then she turned to her friends. "Why don't you ponies stay here and have a rest while I go help her," she suggested. The others agreed and Auquasia and Vanilla Bean walked over to the bean fields.

"So, tell me 'bout yourself," Vanilla Bean said in an effort to create a conversation.

"Well, there's not much to tell. I don't know if I have a family, and I've been alone my entire life. I mean, that is, until I met those ponies. They've completely changed the way I view things, and I couldn't ask for better friends. That's basically my life in a nutshell," Auquasia admitted.

Suddenly they approached a massive field that had a river flowing beside it. The winter storm the Freezelings were covering the land with must not have reached that area of the Everfree, for there was a river bubbling along near the fields. Auquasia admired the sound of the water gently flowing over rocks as it continued on its journey to the sea.

Suddenly Auquasia saw an alicorn filly standing beside the ocean, looking out over still waters. The filly summoned her magic and, with a large amount of strain, was able to move the still waters and pulled the tides. Suddenly there was a bright flash of light, and on the filly's flank was a coral cutie mark. Auquasia had uncovered another memory.

The disguised Frostbite knew Auquasia had remembered something; she could see it in her eyes. She had to act quickly before she could remember anything else. "Oh, the beans are over here." Frostbite pushed Auquasia in the direction of the field.

"Oh, sorry," Auquasia said as she shook her head. She didn't realize what she remembered and in an instant the vision was gone.

"Anyway, so you say you've been alone your whole life. That must be terrible. Aren't you jealous that your friends have families?"

"Well, not really. Of course I wish I had one, but that doesn't mean I have to be bitter about it. Plus, friends are like family, too. They will always be there for you and support you. And that will always be enough for me I'm content with what I have."

Queen Frostbite realized that, once again, this was a fight she could not win. Could anything get to this pony? She would need more time to plan. But so as to not make Auquasia suspicious she would need to lead her to a boulder. Finding the perfect spot, she used her magic to lift a large rock and place it on the field. "Here's the boulder."

"Wow, that's massive! On three let's push. One… Two… Three!"

The two pushed and after a struggle managed to move the boulder. "Oh, thank you for helping me to move it. You should probably hurry back to those friends of yours."

"You're welcome. Goodbye, Vanilla Bean!" Auquasia galloped off in the direction from which they had come. As soon as she was out of sight, Queen Frostbite groaned in frustration as she turned back into the white mist and followed the galloping alicorn.


End file.
